There is a case where a personal authentication system is adopted to a PC (Personal Computer) of a company staff in a company. In this case, it is often the case that enrolled data and a log data of a user is centralized in a viewpoint of efficiency of operation administration such as renewal of record information or uniform management of log. A system, in which a server for centralizing is connected to user terminals requesting authentication via a network, is hereinafter referred to as a client/server type.
Authentication operation of each user is concentrated at a start of business day or after a break time in a personal authentication system for securing PC security of a company. And so, a server may be added according to number increase of PC to be managed. It may take time to provide a service to a user when enrolled data number is large.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-311138 (hereinafter referred to as Document 1) discloses a technology in which one of authentication servers is determined according to index searching of authentication request and thus authentication is performed. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-322292 (hereinafter referred to as Document 2) discloses a technology in which an authentication request requesting subdivided data is distributed to a computer node storing a master copy and a computer node storing a copy, according to load status.
However, the authentication request is concentrated to an overall controlling server when the authentication is requested, in the technology of Document 1 and Document 2. With the structure, a communication for an access to the distributed enrolled data may be a bottleneck.
And so, a cluster system having a shared disk device in which each server accesses the disk device may be structured by separating the disk device from the servers, and a plurality of disk devices having high-speed performance may be adapted to the cluster system as the shared disk device. However, a cost of the system may be increased and a burden of an operation administrator may be increased, because the shared disk device is essential.